Newly launched PILLARS app: a Q-and-A with founder Caleb Adelman ’24
The idea to create a civic engagement app to simplify politics got its start at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University’s Techstars Startup Weekend
Newly launched PILLARS app: a Q-and-A with founder Caleb Adelman ’24
The idea to create a civic engagement app to simplify politics got its start at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University’s Techstars Startup Weekend
Interview by Margo Rutledge Kissell
Caleb Adelman ’24, who majored in Emerging Technology in Business and Design (ETBD) at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University, last week launched , a civic engagement app that helps users know who they're voting for before they hit the polls. The idea to create the the app got its start at Techstars Startup Weekend in the Farmer School of Business.
After graduation, the New Jersey resident continued to build the app. Apple approved it recently after Adelman, the founder, conducted a month-long public beta on iOS and Android. The process provided valuable feedback and helped him fine-tune the experience, fix bugs, and ensure the data displays correctly across different states and school districts.
We caught up with Adelman for this Q-and-A to learn more.
How did you and your team at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú come up with the idea during Techstars Startup Weekend?
The idea came out of a problem we kept running into ourselves. My friends, classmates, and I cared about politics, but every time we tried to understand a bill or a politician, we ended up bouncing between government sites, posts, and content that all said different things. It shouldn't be that hard to get the facts.During , we surveyed around 200 people on campus asking basic questions like do you know who your representative is? Do you know when your next election is? Do you know who's on your ballot? The results confirmed what we suspected: Most people had no idea.
The concept that really clicked for us was sports. We know everything about LeBron James, his points, rebounds, assists, what team he plays for, where he plays next. There are entire platforms built around giving fans that level of detail and access.
But what about our politicians, the people making decisions that directly affect our daily lives? Where do you go to actually learn about them, see how they vote, and find out who funds them? Do they actually vote the way they say they will?
That became the foundation of PILLARS. As we kept building and talking to real users, we realized people didn't just want information. They needed it explained in plain language, delivered quickly, and connected to tools that help them actually do something. That shaped everything from how we summarize bills to how our civic action tools work. What started as a simple idea at Startup Weekend turned into a full platform.
How valuable was that Startup Weekend experience?
Looking back, Startup Weekend was one of the most valuable experiences of my whole journey with PILLARS. You have 72 hours to go from idea to pitch, and there's something about that pressure that forces you to get really clear on what you're actually building and why it matters.That weekend we validated the idea in real time. We surveyed people on campus, heard the same frustrations over and over, and realized this wasn't just a problem we were experiencing ourselves. It was everywhere. Pitching to the judges at the end and seeing their reaction to what we had built gave me the confidence to keep going after the weekend was over.
PILLARS was actually called Imperium back then. It looked a lot different from what it is today. But the core problem we were trying to solve was the same. That weekend planted the seed for everything that followed.
How did you come up with the name PILLARS?
Naming the app was actually one of the harder parts of the early journey. I went back and forth on a lot of options and got some help brainstorming from a family friend who works in branding. He sent over a whole list of directions and concepts to explore, everything from Latin words to made-up combinations to metaphors.One word on that list was Pillars, described as pillars of democracy. It jumped out immediately. It felt strong, nonpartisan, trustworthy, and it captured exactly what we were trying to build. Something foundational. Something people could stand on. The name stuck and we never looked back.
Why did you major in ETBD, and was launching an app a goal of yours all along?
I picked ETBD because I've always been interested in how technology, design, and business intersect. I loved the idea of learning how to actually build things; websites, apps, user experiences, not just study about them in theory. When I was searching for colleges, I hadn't seen many programs like it and that's honestly what drew me to ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú.I never thought I was actually going to build and launch an app while I was there. That wasn't the plan going in. ETBD gave me the technical foundation to actually execute on the idea when it came together at Startup Weekend. Looking back, it was the perfect major for what ended up happening, I just didn't know it at the time.
Are any other members of the team still involved?
From the original Startup Weekend team, I'm the only one actively working on PILLARS full time. The others have moved on to their own careers, but we stay in touch.
Our new team member Molly actually found us through a TikTok video I posted promoting the beta launch. She sent a DM saying she loved the idea and wanted to help in any way she could. She had studied public policy in grad school and had experience working at an AI startup before joining the federal government (Department of Labor). It was exactly the kind of background that made sense for what we were building. We connected from there and she came on as head of growth.
It's a good reminder that you never know what can happen when you just put yourself out there.
Did you have a favorite professor in ETBD or someone who has helped you along this journey?
I had a lot of great professors in ETBD who shaped how I think about building products. Artie Kuhn and Molly Moran both come to mind. They pushed us to think about real-world applications and not just theory, which I think is exactly the kind of education that prepares you to actually go out and build something.
What have you learned so far from this experience?
The number one thing I've learned is that you just have to do it. You can read about building an app, watch tutorials, take classes, but nothing actually teaches you like sitting down and figuring it out. I learned how to develop a full app from the initial idea all the way through coding, product design, and navigating the App Store and Google Play submission process. Every step taught me something I couldn't have learned any other way.
The other big lesson is to just reach out. To anyone. About anything. In the startup world you are going to get 100 ‘no’s before you get that one ‘yes’ and that can be discouraging. But you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. It sounds cliché but it's completely true. Some of the best things that have happened with PILLARS came from a cold email or a random message that I almost didn't send.
Who will be able to use the app?
PILLARS is available nationwide. Anyone in the United States can download the app, enter their address, and see their full ballot with every candidate running in their area. Whether you're in a major city or a small town, the app pulls your specific elected officials, upcoming elections, and local races. That's actually one of the things we're most proud of. Most people focus on the presidential race but PILLARS covers everything down to the school board… All from official sources. No spin. We want to make getting informed before you vote as easy as checking the weather.